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DeLauro Secures Historic Disaster Assistance for New England Farmers in Funding Bill

December 20, 2024

Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced that she created and secured funding in the government funding and disaster assistance package for a Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant Program for small and medium-sized farmers.

“This year, we have seen the devastating impacts of extreme, localized weather events on small farmers across the country– particularly in New England,” said DeLauro. “What is worse is that these farmers are left with few resources to recoup their losses – forcing them to make difficult decisions that put their livelihoods in danger and community food systems at risk. This is one of the primary reasons that Connecticut has lost 460 farms over the last five years. In this bill, I created a historic new block grant that is tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized farmers, removing the barrier of crop insurance requirements, which often do not meet the needs of or provide adequate coverage for diverse crop producers. This grant also allows states to determine the need for funding, enabling more flexibility in response to extreme local weather events, which have significantly increased across our region. It will enable more farmers in need to receive disaster relief, opening the door to specialty crop producers left behind by our current farm safety net. We cannot leave small and medium sized farmers high and dry when disaster strikes.”

On August 26, a severe 13-minute hailstorm damaged several farms in Connecticut. One of them was William Dellacamera’s farm, Cecarelli’s Harrison Hill Farm in Northford. Although Will had insurance coverage, he was only able to recoup a little less than half of his over $400,000 loss.

Many specialty crop farms have a hard time receiving crop insurance because of the lack of availability of coverage for diverse and specialty crops. The Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant was created to ensure small and medium-sized farmers can get relief, as our current system often leaves them behind. This block grant also focuses on any weather event in 2023 or 2024 that a State, in its sole discretion, determines warrants such relief. Whether the extreme flooding in Connecticut in 2023 or a 13-minute hailstorm in 2024, this block grant was created to prioritize these farmers.

The parameters established in the block grant are intended to focus on states that struggle to access typical agriculture relief or aid, including New England and states like Hawaii and Alaska.

“I am grateful for the support of my colleagues Representatives John Larson and Joe Courtney, and the voices of farmers like my constituent, Will Dellacamera, who made it impossible for Congress to look away from this issue,” DeLauro continued. “Their advocacy and experiences were an important force behind securing this much-needed relief for small and medium-sized farmers who deserve our help in the wake of natural disasters. Thanks to our collective efforts, we are finally delivering a solution that will alleviate real hardships on the ground in our region and across Connecticut.”